Well, then, now it is my turn to speak; and I tell you what it is, young man, you will either instantly beg my pardon for what you have said, or you will leave Meeson's for good and all." "I won't beg your pardon for speaking the truth," said Eustace, hotly: "the fact is that here you never hear the truth; all these poor devils creep and crawl about you, and daren't call their souls their own.

I shall be devilish glad to get out of this place, I can tell you.

All this chickery and pokery makes me sick.

The place stinks and reeks of sharp practice and money-making--money-making by fair means or foul." The elder man had, up till now, at all events to outward appearance, kept his temper; but this last flower of vigorous English was altogether too much for one whom the possession of so much money had for many years shielded from hearing unpleasant truths put roughly.

The man's face grew like a devil's, his thick eyebrows contracted themselves, and his pale lips quivered with fury.